Bisoprolol in the treatment of chronic heart failure

Bisoprolol fumarate is a highly selective beta-1 receptor blocker. Bisoprolol has been extensively studied in three large mortality trials in stable chronic heart failure (CHF) patients. The CIBIS trial enrolled 641 patients and demonstrated the good tolerability of bisoprolol in a large CHF population, without evidence for any harmful effect. The CIBIS-II study was the first large randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study demonstrating in 2647 patients a dramatic reduction in mortality with a beta-blocking agent in CHF patients. CIBIS-III demonstrated in 1010 patients the equivalence of 2 different therapeutic strategies in de novo CHF patients. There was no difference in morbidity and mortality between sub-groups of patients receiving first bisoprolol or enalapril. These three trials also demonstrated the good tolerability of bisoprolol fumarate. Other studies were either limited in number of patients or not randomized. However, these studies confirmed the good tolerability of bisoprolol in CHF patients, even in elderly population. Bisoprolol fumarate is a selective beta-1 receptor blocker that significantly reduced morbidity and mortality in stable CHF patients. Bisoprolol is well tolerated with few significant side effects in different large trials.     

贫血与慢性心力衰竭患者心功能的相关性

目的回顾性分析住院慢性心力衰竭患者血红蛋白变化与NYHA心功能分级之间的关系。方法选取2008年1月～2010年12月本院收治住院的慢性心力衰竭合并贫血的患者246例,均符合NYHA心功能分级标准;心力衰竭病史≥12个月,排除继发性贫血患者。血红蛋白水平〈120s／L为贫血;心功能水平的诊断采用NYHA心功能分级,I级和Ⅱ级为轻度心力衰竭,Ⅲ级和Ⅳ级为严重心力衰竭,246例患者血红蛋白值取入院后最早的有效实验室检测值,实验结果采用SPSS11．0软件包进行统计处理,P〈0．05为差异有显著性意义。结果严重心力衰竭患者eⅢ级和Ⅳ级）血红蛋白下降明显高于轻度心力衰竭（I级和Ⅱ级）,血红蛋白越低心功能分级越高。结论贫血与心力衰竭的严重程度密切相关。     

Congestive heart failure due to diastolic or systolic dysfunction. Frequency and patient characteristics in an ambulatory setting.

OBJECTIVE: To determine the age- and sex-specific frequencies and characteristics of patients with diastolic and systolic dysfunction heart failure. DESIGN: Retrospective medical record survey encompassing 1 year. SETTING: Community-based family practice office. PATIENTS: One hundred thirty-six patients who met the modified Framingham criteria for the diagnosis of congestive heart failure (CHF) and had a known left ventricular ejection fraction. Diastolic dysfunction was defined as an ejection fraction of 45% or greater and systolic dysfunction heart failure as an ejection fraction of less than 45%. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Age- and sex-specific frequency; patient comorbid conditions; medications taken; and number of emergency department visits, hospitalizations, and deaths. RESULTS: The frequency of CHF increased with age for men and women (1.3% for patients 45-54 years old to 8.8% for patients > 75 years old). The distribution according to left ventricular ejection fraction and age varied according to sex. Women had later onset of CHF that was predominantly diastolic dysfunction heart failure. Men had proportionately more systolic dysfunction heart failure at all ages. Forty percent of all patients with CHF had diastolic heart failure, and these patients had fewer functional limitations (76% with New York Heart Association classes I and II), fewer hospitalizations for CHF, and a trend toward fewer deaths during the study year compared with patients with systolic dysfunction. CONCLUSIONS: Congestive heart failure is a heterogeneous condition in this family practice setting, and diastolic dysfunction heart failure occurs frequently. Further study of the natural history and treatment of diastolic dysfunction heart failure should be performed in the primary care setting.     

Patients with congestive heart failure and healthy controls differ in vitamin D-associated lifestyle factors

We have recently hypothesized that low vitamin D status may contribute to the pathogenesis of congestive heart failure (CHF). This study was aimed at evaluating, in a pilot study, whether CHF patients have indications for a low vitamin D status during earlier periods of their lives. We performed a case-controlled study in 150 CHF patients and 150 controls. Study participants had to answer a questionnaire that included several items concerning vitamin D-associated lifestyle factors during childhood, adolescence, and adulthood. A vitamin D score was constructed. This score takes into consideration that ultraviolet-B (UVB) exposure is the major vitamin D source for humans and that those lifestyle factors, which are associated with regular UVB exposure, can guarantee an adequate vitamin D status at best. The vitamin D score was significantly higher in controls than in patients (p < 0.001). Compared with the controls, more patients lived in large cities (p < 0.001), fewer patients were members of a sport club (p < 0.001), and fewer patients had summer holidays every year (p < 0.01). Patients also reported significantly less alcohol consumption during adulthood than controls (p < 0.001). Our results demonstrate that CHF patients and controls differed in several vitamin D-associated lifestyle factors and in alcohol consumption during earlier periods of their lives.     

半胱氨酸蛋白酶抑制剂C对老年慢性充血性心力衰竭患者早期肾功能的临床评价

目的 探讨半胱氨酸蛋白酶抑制剂C(cystatin C)对评价老年慢性充血性心力衰竭(CHF)患者早期肾损害的临床价值.方法 检测年龄≥65岁的慢性CHF患者(CHF组,60例)、心功能代偿期的心脏病患者(心功能代偿组,40例)及健康对照者(对照组,20例)的cystatin C水平,并与脑钠肽(BNP)以及LVEF进行相关性分析.结果 CHF组cystatin C水平[(1.86±0.37)mg/L]明显高于心功能代偿组[(1.32±0.56)mg/L]及对照组[(1.05±0.43)mg/L],P<0.01.cystatin C水平与BNP水平呈正相关(r=0.528,P<0.01),与LVEF呈负相关(r=-0.463,P<0.01).CHF组中BNP≥500ng/L者较BNP<500ng/L者cystatin C水平升高,且肾衰竭发生率增加.结论 cystatin C检测适用于老年慢性CHF患者早期肾损害的诊断.心力衰竭程度越重,肾小球滤过功能损害越明显,cystatin C水平越高.     

多水平logistic模型在问卷信度研究中的应用

目的：探讨离散型反应变量多水平统计模型在问卷信度研究中的应用价值。方法：采用多水平ｌｏｇｉｓｔｉｃ模型对问卷中的三个问题的信度分别进行了分析。结果：问卷中三个问题均存在不同程度的“调查员变异”，且调查员与调查对象特征与问题应答具有联系。结论：在不需要重复调查的情况下，多水平分析技术不仅可评价问卷项目应答的信度，而且可评价调查员和调查对象特征对调查结果的影响     

Validity of a job stressors measurement scale in nursing staff: the nursing stress scale]

BACKGROUND: The aim of this work was to determine the reliability and construct validity of a scale intended to measure job stressors to which hospital nursing staff may be exposed. SUBJECTS AND METHODS: The nursing stress scale contains 34 stressors. The scale's trans-cultural adaptation was carried out by means of the translation-back translation method. Validation was conducted on a random sample of 201 health professionals in a public hospital in Valencia. The reliability of the scale was assessed after its readministration on a sub-sample of 30 nursing professionals, with a 15 day interval. The construct validity was obtained through the correlation of the scale with another two scales: The 28 item version of Goldberg's General Health Questionnaire and 7 dimensions of the Health questionnaire SF-36. RESULTS: The scale in Spanish language contains 34 items after eliminating the first item from the original scale (N1: computer failure) and including a new item (E1: Frequent job interruptions). The distribution of scores obtained in the initial administration of the scale and fifteen days later do not differ statistically. The Cronbach's alfa coefficient is 0.92 for the total scale and in each of the sub-scales ranges between 0. 83 and 0.49. The correlation between the scale and the GHQ-28 items questionnaire is 0.34. For each one of the seven dimensions of the SF-36 questionnaire the correlations range between -0.21 and -0.31. CONCLUSION: The nursing stress scale is a useful instrument for measuring possible stressors in this collective. It has high internal consistency and construct validity, as does the original American version, however reliability is moderate.     

Patient attitudes to clinical trials: development of a questionnaire and results from asthma and cancer patients

OBJECTIVE: To develop a questionnaire to assess patients' views of clinical trials, and to report the results from the questionnaire in two patient groups: asthma and cancer. DESIGN: A 43 item questionnaire asking patients about their views to clinical trials was developed on the basis of interviews with trialists and focus groups with patients. The questionnaire was mailed to patients with a diagnosis of either asthma or cancer. A set of items was then selected, via statistical analyses, to form the core of the questionnaire. PARTICIPANTS: Patients with a diagnosis of cancer in one NHS Hospital Trust, and patients with a diagnosis of asthma in two NHS Hospital Trusts. RESULTS: Completed questionnaires were received from 353 cancer patients and 578 asthma patients. Factor analyses of the data indicated that 22 items contributed to five dimensions: 'positive beliefs', 'safety', 'information needs', 'negative expectations' and 'patient involvement'. Differences between asthma and cancer patients on these dimensions were small. A regression of these dimension scores against a variable asking if patients would be willing to take part in trials found that 'safety' and 'information needs' did not contribute significantly to the model for either asthma or cancer patients. CONCLUSIONS: A questionnaire has been developed for use in assessing patients' views towards clinical trials. Results from the surveys reported here suggest that patient views about the importance of trials and beliefs about the value of patient involvement are likely to be predictive of whether or not patients will agree to take part in a study.     

Generic versus disease-specific health status measures. An example using coronary artery disease and congestive heart failure patients

The objectives of this study were to evaluate and compare the psychometric properties of a generic health status measure, the Medical Outcomes Study SF-36, and a disease-specific health status measure, a modified version of the Chronic Heart Failure Questionnaire (CHQ), among outpatients known to have coronary artery disease (CAD) and/or congestive heart failure (CHF). A cross-sectional analysis of baseline data obtained from 670 outpatients participating in a randomized controlled clinical trial in the general medicine clinics of a major academic medical center was performed. The SF-36 was more comprehensive in its coverage of different health status domains. In contrast, the CHQ had fewer problems with floor and ceiling effects, was more internally consistent, had better dimensional reproducibility, and exhibited less factorial complexity. Although both instruments are appropriate for use among outpatients known to have CAD and/or CHF, the CHQ has significantly better psychometric properties than does the SF-36.     

Short-Term Aggressive Disease Management Programs for Heart Failure

Cardiovascular disease is the leading cause of death in developed countries. It is estimated that about 15 million people worldwide die every year from heart disease, with a substantial proportion of these deaths occurring in developing nations. Congestive heart failure (CHF) is a condition that develops as a late complication from a variety of heart disease states. CHF remains a devastating disease. It exacts a high toll in terms of mortality and morbidity and carries a high price burden. As the population ages and treatments for conditions such as acute coronary syndrome and hypertension improve, the prevalence of heart failure can be expected to increase, because survivors of hypertension and myocardial infarction live long enough to develop complications such as congestive heart failure.Recent advances have clearly shown that treatment strategies including ACE inhibitors, β-adrenoceptor antagonists, and aldosterone inhibitors improve morbidity and survival. However, even among patients treated with recommended therapy at recommended doses, mortality remains high. Opportunities exist for further improvement of prognosis beyond current guidelines for heart failure. As new evidence emerges, it is evident that survival can be further improved by using other strategies such as angiotensin receptor antagonists as alternative or add-on therapy and ventricular resynchronization for qualifying candidates.The management of heart failure patients in the community presents unique challenges. Patients who are managed in community hospitals are often elderly and/or very ill, with several comorbidities and clinical characteristics that may be different from patients who qualify for clinical trials. Furthermore, there appears to be a delay in incorporating scientific evidence into practice and studies continue to show that many heart failure patients do not receive recommended medications at adequate doses.Disease management programs have evolved as a way of improving heart failure care. Different models have been established and some institutions have published the results of their specific programs. The consistent findings include reductions in hospitalization rates, improvements in quality of life, and reductions in cost. However, to date, such studies have not compared different models and until large prospective trials are available, the true benefits of these programs will continue to be debated.     

A story of maladies, misconceptions and mishaps: effective management of heart failure

Congestive heart failure (CHF) is a common chronic disease with effective therapy, yet interventions to improve outcomes have met with limited success. Though problems in self-management are suspected causes for deterioration, few efforts have been made to understand how self-management could be improved to enhance the lives of affected patients. We conducted semi-structured interviews of 19 patients with CHF treated at an urban United States hospital to elucidate their knowledge and beliefs about CHF and to understand what underlies their self-care routines. A comparison of the themes generated from these interviews with the common-sense model for self-management of illness threats, clarifies how patients' perceptions and understanding of CHF affected their behaviors. Patients had an acute model of CHF. They did not connect chronic symptoms with a chronic disease, CHF, and did not recognize that these symptoms worsened over time from their baseline of moderate, chronic distress, to a severe state that required urgent care. As a consequence, they often did not manage symptoms on a routine basis and did not, therefore, prevent or minimize exacerbations. When they worsened, many patients reported barriers to reaching their physicians and most reported seeking care primarily in an emergency room. These in depth responses elucidate how the interplay between acute and chronic models of a chronic illness effect self-management behaviors. These factors play a previously not understood role in patient's efforts to understand and manage the ever-present but symptomatically variable chronic illness that is CHF. These new concepts illustrate the tools that may be needed to effectively manage this serious and disabling illness, and suggest possible ways to enhance the self-management process and ultimately improve patients' lives.     

Educational settings in the management of patients with heart failure

Congestive heart failure (CHF) presents, besides the magnitude of epidemiological data, relevant characteristics, including frequent hospitalizations caused by severe signs and symptoms, which should be studied to reduce the negative impact of the disease on the public health system. With the advent of several clinical trials in the area of CHF, the treatment has become more complex, with the need of a more organized structure to assist these patients. Education is considered essential to reduce morbidity and mortality. The setting, to begin or to continue the educational process, can be a hospital (hospitalization), outpatient clinic, home, a day-hospital or yet, a combination of these. The main researches in this area recognize and motivate an investigation of other paths to get better results in the pharmacological and non-pharmacological treatments. In this study we review recent data, approaching several educational settings in the management of patients with CHF.     

Importance of Cognitive Testing for Survey Items: An Example From Food Security Questionnaires

Cognitive testing is a useful tool for the development of questionnaire items and can also provide valuable information for the analysis and/or interpretation of preexisting survey data. This paper explains cognitive testing methods and demonstrates the benefits of cognitive testing on existing hunger, food insecurity, and food insufficiency questionnaire items. Semistructured interviews were conducted using retrospective verbal probing techniques. Each interview consisted of two parts: (1) the respondent answered a series of hunger and food insecurity items successively and (2) the interviewer engaged the respondent in a conversation that explored the meaning of the questionnaire items and the respondent's answers to the items. Selected results are described to illustrate how the assessment of questionnaire items is facilitated by cognitive testing. Among other benefits, cognitive testing can clarify the meaning of specific words, determine the best item form and response categories, and help determine question meaning after a survey has been fielded. These results demonstrate that cognitive testing can be beneficial when assessing the quality of questionnaire items and determining item meaning.     

Oral Chinese herbal medicine for improvement of quality of life in patients with chronic heart failure: a systematic review and meta-analysis

Purpose

Chronic heart failure (CHF) is not only a leading cause of death, hospitalization, and rehospitalization, but also significantly decreases quality of life (QoL). This study aims to evaluate published clinical trials of oral Chinese herbal medicine (OCHM) for improvement of QoL in patients with CHF that employ the Minnesota Living with Heart Failure Questionnaire (MLHFQ) score as an outcome measure.

Methods

A systematic literature search was performed using five databases up to June 2013 to identify randomized control trials (RCTs). RCTs involving OCHM plus conventional medicine treatment (CMT) with or without blinding, compared with CMT with or without placebo, with MLHFQ score as an outcome measure were identified. The methodological quality of RCTs was assessed independently using the Cochrane Handbook for Systematic Review of Interventions. RevMan 5.2.5 and Stata 11.0 were used for data analysis.

Results

Thirty-eight RCTs with a total of 3,170 participants were identified. The majority of the included trials were assessed to be of high clinical heterogeneity and poor methodological quality. The main results of meta-analysis showed improvement of total MLHFQ score when OCHM plus CMT compared with CMT with or without placebo [MD = ?5.71 (?7.07, ?4.36), p < 0.01].

Conclusions

There is some encouraging evidence of OCHM combined with CMT for the improvement of QoL in CHF patients. However, the evidence remains weak due to the small sample size, high clinical heterogeneity, and poor methodological quality of the included trials. Further, large sample size and well-designed trials are needed.     

Progression and management of chronic heart failure

Current heart failure therapeutic guidelines are based on a new classification of the progression of the syndrome of chronic heart failure (CHF) that was proposed by ad hoc committees of the American College of Cardiology (ACC) and the American Heart Association (AHA).The new ACC/AHA classification depicts the progression of CHF in 4 stages that are labeled A to D. The 4 stages range from risk factors for CHF (A) to the presence of structural heart disease (B) and the development of symptoms (C). The last stage (D) is one of low cardiac output state despite optimal medical therapy. The merit of this new classification is to encourage tailoring of CHF therapy according to the stage of the syndrome. However, except for the final stage D that has clear therapeutic implications, the first 3 stages A, B and C do not have clear therapeutic implications. Moreover, these first 3 stages may inadvertently delay the diagnosis of CHF and fail to identify the important therapeutic target at each stage of CHF. A revised classification consisting of only 3 stages is proposed. These 3 stages are: 1) Left ventricular (LV) remodeling; 2) clinical heart failure and 3) low cardiac output state. These 3 stages have the advantage of delineating precise therapeutic targets at each stage thereby facilitating the management of patients with CHF by non-experts in the field.     

Health-related quality of life in unselected outpatients with heart failure across Spain in two different health care levels. Magnitude and determinants of impairment: The INCA study

AIMS: To assess health-related quality of life (HRQL) in Spanish outpatients with chronic heart failure (CHF). METHODS: Cross-sectional study carried out in a sample of CHF patients (echocardiography was performed in all of them) followed either in Primary Care (PC) centres or Cardiology outpatient clinics throughout Spain. HRQL was evaluated using the EuroQol 5D (EQ-5D) and Minnesota Living with Heart Failure (MLWHF) Questionnaire. RESULTS: The study subjects were 2161 CHF patients (1412 PC; 749 Cardiology). Patients were older and had more severe disease in PC than in Cardiology settings. Their HRQL scores were likewise worse. After adjusting for clinical variables, the differences in global and physical MLWHF disappeared, but persisted to a smaller degree in EQ-5D and mental MLWHF. HRQL was worse than in a representative sample of the Spanish population and in other chronic conditions such as rheumatoid arthritis or type 2 diabetes, being only comparable to severe chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). CONCLUSION: All domains of HRQL were significantly impaired in CHF patients. Differences found in HRQL between PC and Cardiology should possibly be attributed to a large extent to the different clinical characteristics of the patients attended. In spite of the differences between EQ-5D and MLWHF, our results suggest that both questionnaires adequately reflect the severity of the disease.     

Hospitalized congestive heart failure after renal transplantation in the United States

PURPOSE: African Americans have increased risk for congestive heart failure (CHF) compared to Caucasians in the general population, but the risk of CHF in African American renal transplant recipients has not been studied in a national renal transplant population. METHODS: Therefore, 33,479 renal transplant recipients in the United States Renal Data System (USRDS) from 1 July, 1994 to 30 June, 1997 were analyzed in an historical cohort study of the incidence, associated factors, and mortality of hospitalizations with a primary discharge diagnosis of CHF [International Classification of Diseases-9 (ICD9) Code 428.x]. RESULTS: African American renal transplant recipients had increased age-adjusted risk of hospitalizations for congestive heart failure compared to African Americans in the general population [rate ratio 4.60, 95% confidence interval (CI) 4.59-4.62]. In logistic regression analysis, African American recipients had increased risk of congestive heart failure after renal transplantation, independent of other factors. Among other significant factors associated with congestive heart failure, the strongest were graft loss and allograft rejection. No maintenance immunosuppressive medications were associated with CHF. In Cox regression analysis patients hospitalized for CHF had increased all-cause mortality compared with all other recipients (hazard ratio 3.69, 95% CI, 2.23-6.10), but African American recipients with CHF were not at significantly increased risk of mortality compared to Caucasian recipients with CHF. CONCLUSIONS: African Americans recipients were at high risk for CHF after transplant independent of other factors. The reasons for this increased risk should be the subject of further study. All potential transplant recipients should receive particular attention for the diagnosis and prevention of CHF in the transplant evaluation process, which includes preservation of allograft function.     

慢性充血性心力衰竭患者血尿酸检测的临床价值

目的：探讨慢性充血性心力衰竭（CHF）患者血清尿酸水平及临床意义。方法：分别测定120例慢性充血性心力衰竭患者（CHF组）治疗前后及100例健康人（健康对照组）于晨起空腹时采肘静脉血4—5mL,分离血清,采用全自动生化分析仪应用尿酸检测试剂盒（尿酸酶法）检测血清尿酸水平,并进行对比观察。结果：CHF组的尿酸值（390．2±56．2）mmol／L;健康对照组尿酸值（224．3±24．5）mmol／L,慢性充血性心力衰竭（CHF）组的血清尿酸水平明显高于健康对照组,比较差异有统计学意义（P〈0．01）;心功能I级尿酸值（225．7±19．4）mmol／L;心功能Ⅱ级尿酸值（364．2±24．2．）mmol／L;心功能Ⅲ级尿酸值（461．0±11．8）mmol／L;心功能Ⅳ级尿酸值（597．3±33．9）mmol／L,检测结果表明心力衰竭程度越重,血清尿酸水平升高越明显。结论：血清尿酸水平与心功能分级有相关性。高尿酸血症是患者发生心力衰竭、不良事件和死亡的一个良好预测因子。血清尿酸检测可用于基层医务人员判断慢性充血性心力衰竭（CHF）患者的病情严重程度和预后。     

The role of aldosterone-antagonists in the treatment of congestive heart failure

The role of aldosterone-antagonists in the treatment of congestive heart failure. Despite the advances of the treatment of congestive heart failure, nearly half of the patients diagnosed with this disease five years ago are alive today. Experimental and human studies have demonstrated, that under special pathologic condition, the heart extracts aldosterone, and aldosterone extraction in the heart stimulates increased collagen turnover culminating in ventricular remodeling. Aldosterone blockade has been shown to be effective in reducing total mortality and hospitalization for heart failure in patients with systolic left ventricular dysfunction due to chronic heart failure (RALES study with spironolactone) and in patients with systolic left ventricular dysfunction post acute myocardial infarction (EPHESUS study with eplerenone). These clinical studies have shown that mineralocorticoid receptor activation remains important despite the use of angiotensin converting enzyme inhibitor or angiotensin receptor blocking agent and a beta blocker. In the ACC/AHA (and in the European and Hungarian) guidelines for the evolution and management of chronic heart failure, the indication of spironolactone was defined of Class Ila, Level of Evidence: B in CHF of stage C. The eplerenone (in US: INSPRA) was approved for the management of CHF patients after myocardial infarction with ejection fraction < 40%. Eplerenone, compared with spironolactone, is associated with a lower incidence of gynecomastia and other sex hormone-related adverse effect (breast pain, menstrual abnormalities). The spironolactone should not be used in patients with a creatinine above 220 mikromol/l. Despite the guidelines recommendation, spironolactone has been widely used in patients without consideration of their functional class or ejection fraction, without optimization of background treatment with ACE inhibitors and beta-blockers.     

Systematic review of studies on telemonitoring of patients with congestive heart failure: a meta-analysis

We conducted a systematic review of large, well-conducted randomised trials designed to evaluate the effectiveness of telemonitoring on patients with congestive heart failure (CHF). Two people reviewed 125 articles independently and selected 13 articles for final review. These studies concerned 3480 patients. The follow-up period of the studies was 3-15 months. Pooled estimate results showed that there was an overall reduction in all-cause mortality (P = 0.02). There was no overall reduction in all-cause hospital admission (P = 0.84), although there was a reduction in CHF hospital admission (P = 0.0004). There was no reduction in all-cause emergency admission (P = 0.67). There was no significant difference in length of stay in hospital, medication adherence or cost. Telemonitoring in conjunction with nurse home visiting and specialist unit support can be effective in the clinical management of patients with CHF and help to improve their quality of life.